TREASURY

Child Tax Credit

Dawn Primarolo: I said in a written answer on 11 March 2004, Official Report, column 1645W, that the timing of the phased transfer on to child tax credit (CTC) of the remaining families with children in receipt of income support/job seekers allowance, planned to begin from October, would be subject to a final review in the summer and that in the meantime, families would continue to receive the same level of support through their benefits as they would from CTC.
	It is extremely important to safeguard continuity of support for children among this particularly vulnerable group. Following further consideration of the proposed timetable, I have decided that the transfer should be deferred and begin instead in the course of next year. This will allow a full cycle of tax credits activity to be completed before these families are transferred in.
	Meanwhile, as I announced in March, I can again confirm that families will continue to receive the same level of financial support through their benefits as they would from CTC.

DEPUTY PRIME MINISTER

Valuation Appeals (Business Rates)

Nick Raynsford: As part of preparations for the next business rates revaluation which takes effect in April 2005, we have reviewed the current arrangements for handling valuation appeals. As a result we are proposing to make a number of changes.
	In particular we propose to remove the present limitations whereby a successful appeal against a valuation only results in bills being recalculated from the start of the financial year in which the appeal is made. In the first year of the 2000 list, to encourage early applications, there was a further restriction in that bills were only recalculated back to the start of the year if appeals were made during the first six months. This will also be removed. As a result any reduction in value would now be backdated to the start of the period, i.e. April 2005, or for later additions or changes to the list, to the date that the addition or change took effect. While the previous limitations were helpful in encouraging ratepayers to submit appeals early, the initial six months limit in particular prompted some ratepayers to submit appeals as a purely precautionary measure that were subsequently not pursued. Removing the need for appeals to be made until ratepayers are satisfied that they need and wish to proceed should reduce costs for both individual ratepayers and for the national taxpayer in administering the system, and should allow appeals that are pursued to be resolved more quickly.
	We also propose that ratepayers should be restricted to a single appeal against the original 2005 valuation and against any subsequent alteration. At present duplicate appeals can be submitted by ratepayers or their agents in different formats or even by several agents in respect of the same property. Each one must be registered as a separate appeal. This causes unnecessary work and cost in administering the system and slows down the handling of appeals. As a further aid to speeding up the consideration of cases it is proposed that ratepayers should be required to provide basic rental information with the appeal. This is the single most important piece of information for the valuation officer in considering the need to alter a rateable value but it is often not provided until very late in the appeals process. Providing it at the start should allow cases to be resolved more quickly and with fewer cases going to valuation tribunal.
	Further details of these proposals and some more minor technical changes will be set out in a consultation paper to be issued next month. It is estimated that the effect of the proposed changes would be to reduce the number of appeals by at least 120,000 over the life of the list. This should speed up the resolution of appeals and make the administration of the system cheaper and easier for all concerned.
	The proposals complement other initiatives already being taken forward by the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister and the Valuation Office Agency as part of revaluation 2005 to make the valuation system more open, transparent and user friendly.

Home Fire Risk Checks

Phil Hope: I am announcing today £25 million in capital grants to all English fire and rescue authorities over four years. The grants will total £5 million annually in the first three years, rising to £10 million in the final year, 2007–08. The funding is provided to establish a programme of home fire risk checks (HFRCs)—home visits to provide advice on fire risks and how to prevent fire, tailored to the circumstances of the household. The visits will be combined with installation of free 10-year smoke alarms.
	The initiative will be targeted on the most vulnerable households—particularly the elderly, but also deprived households and areas, young families and black and minority ethnic communities. Grants will be allocated on the basis of regional smoke alarm ownership, and within each region on the basis of the fire index, mainly measures of deprivation, weighted by population. The regional allocations will be announced in due course.

FOREIGN AND COMMONWEALTH AFFAIRS

United Nations

Bill Rammell: Tomorrow, I will lay before Parliament a Command Paper on the United Kingdom in the United Nations (CM 6325). Copies will be placed in the Library of the House and will be available from the Vote Office in the House of Commons and the printed paper office in the House of Lords. A copy will also be available on the Foreign and Commonwealth Office websitewww.fco. gov.uk.
	This Command Paper is the second in a series of annual papers on the UK's engagement with the United Nations. This year's edition contains a foreword by the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs. It is published to coincide with a Parliamentary debate on 28 October, as well as two major events: the UK Presidency of the UN Security Council this month, and the main session of the UN General Assembly.
	The United Nations carries out very important work. Yet many of us are unaware of much of this work. This paper aims to outline the wide range of activity that the organisation is involved in, and the many ways that the UK supports this work. It also demonstrates how the UN has a positive influence on the daily lives of members of the public.
	The UN has been in the forefront of international news over the last year and is being asked to tackle an increasing number of issues—from violent conflict to sustainable development—in an increasing number of locations—from Afghanistan to Haiti. This activity can only be carried out effectively by a UN that is efficient and focused on the most important priorities. This year's report therefore concentrates on efforts to reform the United Nations and its constituent bodies. The UK is fully committed to the UN. As a strong supporter of the UN, we believe that only through continuous adaptation can it meet the challenges of the modern world.

HEALTH

Social Care Services

Stephen Ladyman: The Social Care Institute for Excellence (SCIE) was established in October 2001 to help raise the standard of social care services by developing and promoting knowledge about good practice in social care. It is a not-for-profit company and a registered charity. It is funded primarily by the Department of Health by way of a grant.
	The Department proposes to help deliver further improvements across social care and health services through a dedicated care services improvement partnership that would be part of SCIE. The Department is currently exploring this with SCIE's trustees, who have broadly welcomed the proposal, and is working up details of how these arrangements can be achieved. This partnership would draw together seven existing initiatives, listed at the conclusion of this statement, into a single coherent framework through which local organisations in England can be helped to provide better services for people and communities with a range of care and support needs. It is proposed that most of this support will be delivered through eight regional centres based on the existing regional development centres operated by the National Institute for Mental Health in England.
	SCIE are currently consulting on behalf of the Department on the improvement of services to adults. I intend to present a Green Paper to this House following that consultation detailing my plans for service improvement. The creation of the care services improvement partnership will support the delivery of the objectives within the Green Paper.
	The arrangement is subject to final approval by SCIE's board of trustees and to the Charity Commission being content with the changes that this will mean for SCIE. From tomorrow the Department and SCIE will be consulting a wide range of groups and organisations across the statutory, voluntary and private sectors, including those which involve service users and carers, about the proposed partnership and how it could be developed.
	It is proposed to include within the new partnership the following existing initiatives:
	Modernisation agency change for children team
	Health and social care change agent team
	Integrated care network
	Integrating community equipment services team
	National Child and Adolescent Mental Health Support Service
	National Institute for Mental Health in England
	Valuing people support team.
	The Welsh Assembly Government are considering the implications of these developments for its relationship with SCIE.

PRIME MINISTER

Review Body on Senior Salaries (Report on Parliamentary Pay and Allowances 2004)

Tony Blair: I have today laid before both Houses the Review Body on Senior Salaries report on parliamentary pay and allowances 2004. Copies are available in the Vote Office and the Library of the House. I am grateful to John Baker and the members of the Review Body for their work. The Government have noted their recommendations on pay, allowances and pensions. Implementation of these recommendations will be a matter for decision by Parliament.

WORK AND PENSIONS

Discretionary Social Fund

Chris Pond: My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State will be making a number of minor changes to the discretionary social fund with effect from 25 October 2004. The changes to the fund are minor clarifications of guidance and directions, and, in the main, are consequential to legislative changes made in respect of other social security benefits. Details of the changes have been placed in the Library.